Russia is set to receive deliveries of chemical ingredients critical for explosive manufacturing, ordered from fertilizer companies that have largely escaped international sanctions, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg.

Based on the nitric acid volumes allocated to Rostec subsidiaries this year, Russia could manufacture at least 6,500 152mm artillery shells per day in 2025, according to Bloomberg calculations. Russia’s estimated annual capacity for producing or refurbishing artillery shells is between 3-4 million.

Scheduling Plans and Sanctioned Facilities

Tens of thousands of tons of nitric acid and a nitric-sulfuric acid mix have been ordered for entities controlled by JSC Spetskhimiya, one of Russia’s largest explosives manufacturers. The contracts highlight how Russia sustains its military capabilities despite stringent economic restrictions.

The orders for Spetskhimiya-linked facilities were placed with subsidiaries of fertilizer producers EuroChem Group AG and UralChem JSC, the documents indicate. These acids are key components of TNT, gunpowder, and other propellants essential to Russia’s war effort. However, EuroChem and UralChem have so far avoided the most severe US and European sanctions, as their fertilizers are vital for global agriculture and food security.

Many of the 11 factories named in the documents as recipients of the acids this year have been sanctioned by Ukraine’s allies for their role in Russia’s war effort. These plants also manufacture explosives for civilian use, and Bloomberg could not verify the proportion of their current production dedicated to military applications.

The planning documents, which include order-reference numbers, suggest the acid supplies are confirmed and scheduled for delivery throughout the year.

The scheduling plans reviewed by Bloomberg show that deliveries are expected this year at several facilities, including the Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk and the Biysk Oleum plant. Many of the named facilities have been sanctioned by Ukraine’s allies for supplying Russia’s military industry, including:

• Solikamsk Plant Ural
• Tambov Gunpowder Plant
• Perm Powder Plant
• Kazan State Gunpowder Plant

Rostec, sanctioned by the US and the EU, is led by Sergey Chemezov, a longtime Putin ally who served alongside him in the KGB in East Germany during the 1980s.

Explosives Production and Military Use

Nitric acid is a core ingredient in plastic explosive RDX and nitrocellulose, the primary component of gunpowder. Nitrocellulose, also known as guncotton, is the most important ingredient in modern artillery shell propellants. It is produced by soaking high-grade cotton in a mix of acids. A single 152mm artillery round requires approximately 12kg of gunpowder.

Bradley Martin, a retired US Navy captain and researcher at Rand Corp, noted that “Nitrocellulose can be used for gunpowder as well as other non-military applications. Most munition supply chains involve precursor materials that move across global markets.”

The nitric-sulfuric acid mix is used to manufacture trinitrotoluene (TNT), a standard military explosive. Russia has also historically used it in rocket propellants.

Supply Chain Risks

EuroChem, registered in Zug, Switzerland, is set to supply about 40,000 tons of nitric acid to facilities linked to Rostec, despite Switzerland sanctioning the company.

The documents suggest that UralChem and EuroChem have the capacity to meet a significant portion of Russia’s demand for nitric acid and nitric-sulfuric acid this year.
Both companies are major suppliers of nitrogen-based fertilizers.